Global Events to Raise Awareness and Money for International Riverfoundation

Live Earth announced that the Docklands in Melbourne has been selected as the Australian venue for the Dow Live Earth Run for Water, which will take place on 18th April 2010.

The Dow Live Earth Run for Water‟ will inspire the world‟s citizens to come together on one day to help solve the world‟s water crisis.
Melbourne has been awarded a Live Earth "Showcase Event‟, as part of a global series of 6km run/walks (the average distance women and children in the developing world can walk everyday to secure water). Taking place in hundreds of countries around the world, over the course of 24 hours, the event features a participation run or walk, followed by a concert and water education activities, igniting a massive global movement – all aimed at helping solve local and global water issues.

Thousands of runners, walkers, celebrities and musicians, will result in millions of people reached, and funds raised to bring clean, safe drinking water to those in need.

The run signifies the second global Live Earth event, following on from the hugely successful Live Earth concert series held around the globe on 07.07.07.

The Melbourne Run for Water will encourage people to START solving the problem today, addressing the water crisis in Victoria, GIVE money to support water projects, and learn how to SAVE water in homes and communities throughout Melbourne and Victoria.

As part of the mass participation event, Live Earth will create a Water Village, to be set up with water education activities to help raise awareness of the world‟s water crisis, and local water scarcity issues. As a added attraction, well known musical acts will perform at the Water Village, keeping in with Live Earth‟s tradition of delivering major concert entertianment. Details of the acts and artists performing will be revealed in the coming months.

All donations raised by the Dow Live Earth Run for Water will fund sustainable water programmes and support a global network of NGO partners. The International Riverfoundation is a leading advocate for the protection and restoration of the world‟s rivers and has been selected as the NGO in Australia.

To register and find out more about Live Earth and the race, please go to www.liveearth.org and www.runforwateraustralia.com.
Water scarcity is an issue affecting countries, communities and families all over the world and International Riverfoundation works to help combat this crisis. One in eight people don‟t have access to safe, clean drinking water while eighty-eight percent of diarrheal cases worldwide are linked to inadequate and unsafe water.

International Riverfoundation works in partnerships around the world to inspire, encourage and facilitate sustainable river management, and to reward those who demonstrate world‟s best practice in restoring and managing their rivers for improved ecological, economic and social outcomes. As a non government organisation, they dedicate their time and effort to supporting the sustainable management of rivers by providing access to the technical knowledge, practical expertise and equipment required to improve the health of rivers and their communities from the ground up.

Through Riverfoundation‟s innovative Twinning program, groups who have demonstrated excellence in restoring and sustainably managing their rivers and waterways work with others to build capacity, transfer skills and improve community health, water quality and availability, on a global scale.

Donations received from the Dow Live Run for Water in Melbourne will be used to support Riverfoundation‟s active and emerging Twinning projects, including the established Tweed-Kenya Mentoring Program and the emerging Merri Creek-Merri River partnership in Victoria, Australia. In Kenya, the Tweed-Kenya Mentoring Project delivers education and advocacy at a grass-roots level regarding water, sanitation and hygiene; training in catchment management practices; activation of youth environment clubs, and the establishment of safe water filtration units in rural communities. In Victoria, the Merri Creek are mentoring the Merri River community to improve the health of the river and biodiversity within the catchment, and to manage their water resources in a more sustainable way.

“To have been chosen as the sole Australian beneficiary and partner of Live Earth 2010 is an absolute honour and an initiative that we‟re 100% committed to since our aim is for all rivers and waterways to be healthy and sustainably managed for the future of the populations that depend on them” says Peter Krause from International Riverfoundation. “We‟re also really excited about being involved in such a fantastic event and looking forward to hearing about the acts that will be representing the cause in Melbourne.”

“As the title sponsor for the Dow Live Earth Run for Water, Dow is committed to developing the science and technology to help solve one of the world‟s greatest challenges – the global water crisis,” said Ian Barbour, general manager at Dow Water & Process Solutions, a business unit of Dow. “On 18th April, Dow‟s 46,000 employees will join people from around the world to help millions of people gain access to safe, clean drinking water.”

“Building on the massive success of the Live Earth: Concerts for a Climate in Crisis in 2007, the Dow Live Earth Run for Water will mobilise the global community to once again come together on one day and take action on one of the most serious environmental issues today, the global water crisis,” said Kevin Wall, founder and CEO of Live Earth. “Water scarcity affects everyone whether they are aware of it or not, and the goal of the Dow Live Earth Run for Water is to raise the profile of this issue, educate the world‟s citizens about its challenges and offer opportunities to be part of the solution.”

For more information about the Dow Live Earth Run for Water, visit http://liveearth.org/run.